The present invention relates to a high speed food processing device. In the food industry, in particular the fast food industry, certain food products are high volume consumption items, but have been relatively slow in their production. For example, tortillas are a high consumption product, but the methods for producing them have been relatively slow.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,197,792, Mendoza discloses a continuously moving upper and lower band which also moves vertically up and down in a repetitive manner in order to compress and cook the dough as it travels along the continuous heated bands. A specific disadvantage of this device is that there is a required lag time or dead space equivalent to the length of the cooking area. The present invention eliminates this problem and has a small distance at the front and rear of the platens, approximately 3/4 of an inch which does not receive food stuff and is not in contact with the heated platens.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,397,655, Valadez discloses a tortilla manufacturing machine which includes an upper and lower heated platen. Valadez is limited to the cooking of one tortilla at a time.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,938,126, Rubio discloses a apparatus which requires a timing system and has two separate drive mechanisms for the purpose of; (1) moving the continuous non-stick belt and (2) the forward and rearward movement of the platens. Rubio specifically indicates that the press conveyer belt moves at a selected steady rate of speed and the press, which moves back and forth, the movements are coordinated by timing mechanism whereby in present invention the press cycle and the movement of the non-stick cooking service are an integral single system so that if the drive motor slows down the movement of the conveyer belt, the movement of the platens being interconnected slows accordingly. Such is because of the direct drive and does not rely on any timing mechanism and is strictly a mechanical interface.